This was the dream. Now we ¹  will set forth before the king its interpretation.

We inquired of those elders, asking them, ‘Who gave you the authority to rebuild this temple and to complete this structure?’

“This is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, ¹  TEQEL, and PHARSIN. ² 

This is the interpretation of the words: ¹  As for mene ²  – God has numbered your kingdom’s days and brought it to an end.

Exercise appropriate caution so that there is no negligence in this matter. Why should danger increase to the point that kings sustain damage?”

They ¹  also asked them, “What are the names of the men who are building this edifice?”

The report they sent to him was written as follows: ¹  “To King Darius: All greetings! ² 

Because of this the king got furiously angry ¹  and gave orders to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.

Now ¹  at that time certain ²  Chaldeans came forward and brought malicious accusations against ³  the Jews.

“But you, his son ¹  Belshazzar, have not humbled yourself, ²  although you knew all this.

Therefore the palm of a hand was sent from him, and this writing was inscribed.

So King Darius issued the written interdict.

So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and ¹  the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

At that time Tattenai governor of Trans-Euphrates, Shethar-Bozenai, and their colleagues came to them and asked, “Who gave you authority ¹  to rebuild this temple and to complete this structure?” ² 

“I hereby give orders that if anyone changes this directive a beam is to be pulled out from his house and he is to be raised up and impaled ¹  on it, and his house is to be reduced ²  to a rubbish heap ³  for this indiscretion. ⁴ 

With this money you should be sure to purchase bulls, rams, and lambs, along with the appropriate ¹  meal offerings and libations. You should bring them to the altar of the temple of your God which is in Jerusalem.

And ¹  in that you saw iron mixed with wet clay, so people will be mixed ²  with one another ³  without adhering to one another, just as ⁴  iron does not mix with clay.

(This is a copy of the letter they sent to him:) “To King Artaxerxes, ¹  from your servants in ²  Trans-Euphrates:

In light of the fact that we are loyal to the king, ¹  and since it does not seem appropriate to us that the king should sustain damage, ²  we are sending the king this information ³ 

We therefore are informing the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, you will not retain control ¹  of this portion of Trans-Euphrates.”